Testimonial
Updated Testimony February 2009 DS Surgery with John Husted MD
It was in the late fall of 2006 when I had what some people call an epiphany. My weight had ballooned to 375 pounds. Along with it, I had developed type II diabetes. I suffered from sleep apnea. I had high blood pressure. I had severe asthma unable to leave the house without an inhaler. I was being besieged by severe bouts of bronchitis nearly every other month leading to many rounds of debilitating regimens of medication. My left thigh was numb from a chronic cyanic nerve condition. I could not feel the bottoms of my feet. Those signs should have been enough. And, of course, I had tried to lose weight many times only to find that my body had become so resistant to yo-yo dieting that I was so much better at gaining than losing. But my epiphany sign post was not about my maladies but about socks.

That morning, as we all do each day, I was trying to put on my socks. It had gotten difficult over the years but I had always succeeded in this mundane task. Until that day. That day, despite many attempts of twisting my body like a pretzel, I could not get on my socks. Let me tell you that nothing makes one feel more helpless than the inability to dress yourself. And I felt helpless.

But the truth, the epiphany, is that we are never truly helpless. Unless, we fail to ask for help. And, I think specifically ask God for help. Thankfully, I did both. When I did it became clear to me that I had to consider what I always considered as the last resort ---the surgical option for weight loss. I had considered it a last resort because all my research previously had revealed that weight loss surgery often had negative side effects and could be highly dangerous. But it was clear to me that if I wanted back my life, a life where I was no longer helpless, this is what I must do. And so I diligently embarked on a quest to find the best procedural option and the best surgeon available to me. As it turns out that procedure, an aggressive form of surgery called the Duodenal switch, was not available to me in Nashville. I settled on a Dr. John Husted based in San Francisco. Ironically, he once had Nashville ties.

Finally, after filling out a number of applications and undergoing both physical and mental examinations, I had a phone interview with Dr. Husted. After chatting for a few minutes he asked what I thought was an obvious question. Why do you want this surgery? “I want to live”, I replied. “I understand”, he said, “but are you willing to die”?

His question may well have been a simple, yet stark, disclosure about the risks of a surgery. But as I have replayed that conversation over and over, I felt that God wanted me to understand what I really expected from “living”. That living is was more than simply avoiding death. My quality of life was more than about being able to put on socks. True, I was physically miserable. But looking back on it, I think I was perhaps even more miserable on the inside than on the outside. And I was making those around me miserable as well.

As I approached the surgery date of May 2nd , 2007 I can now tell you I was very scared. But fear is not something I have ever been willing to acknowledge to myself much less anyone else. And just a few days before my surgery, I sent out an e-mail to many of my closest friends including several members of our church. In the text simply asked them to pray for me and my family. I said that while the magnitude of this procedure was a bit intimidating, knowing that I had so many wonderful people praying for me made me feel that it is all going to be OK. “With God, I said, “I can approach the future with joyful anticipation. Without him …well …. it is scary as hell.”

During this process many of you spoke of or prayed for my courage. What your actions taught me was that courage is only fear that has been transformed by the prayers of others for God’s strength. And with his strength we can all live as fearless men and women.

And although, it was a rough 8 hour operation, a 12 day stay in San Francisco and a very long recovery period, I was, as you can see, OK. I have lost 192 pounds, 22 inches from my waist, and all of the health maladies of which I suffered. And I love putting on socks each morning.

But there are things which I did not lose. I did not lose all of my bad habits or shortcomings. I am still far from an ideal father, husband, son, brother, friend or Christian. In fact, I initially rejected the idea of giving this testimony because I was afraid that it would suggest that I had been glorified simply because I had lost a lot of weight. After all losing weight does not make you a better person any more than it makes you a better driver which I am notoriously not.

But I felt that it was important for me to share with you three things I have gained:

1. First of all, I gained a new appreciation for the fact that we are all in this world together and we owe it to ourselves to support and love one another. Since this surgery, I have renewed old friendships, developed new ones and come to appreciate the value of those relationships I already had. Nothing we do on earth will be more lasting than the quality of relationships we have before we leave it.

2. Second I have gained is the understanding of how powerful prayers can be. Not just those offered for you but those that you can offer to others. I gained humility in how limited my power is and how infinite God’s will always be.

3. And finally, and most importantly, I gained a new understanding of God’s grace ….and just how awesome that simple promise really can be. I can assure you that the man standing before you today knows that ANYTHING is Possible through GOD!

ONE YEAR UPDATE - May 2, 2008 - Last Friday marked the one year period since I had the duodenal switch operation in San Francisco. Statistically, since that date I have lost 162 pounds and 18 inches from my waist. I have also lost high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, the sciatic nerve pain which kept my left thigh alternately numb and burning in pain, the numbness in the bottom of my feet, recurring bouts of bronchitis, chronic asthma and nearly all of my sleep apnea.

But most notably to me are things which I did not lose and what I have gained. I did not lose all of my bad habits or shortcomings. I am still far from an ideal father, husband, son, brother, friend or Christian. I hope that the next year I can gain ground in all those areas. I have remarked to friends that it seems since I lost weight people seem to treat me as if I am more intelligent. But losing weight does not make you smarter. Nor does it make you necessarily a better person.

But I have gained a new appreciation for life. I have renewed old friendships, developed new ones and come to appreciate the value of those relationships I already had. Through that I gained the understanding nothing we do will be more lasting than the relationships we make during our lifetime. We are in this world together and we owe it to ourselves to support and love one another.

I also gained the understanding of how powerful prayers can be. Not just those offered for you but those that you can offer to others. I gained humility in how limited my power is and how infinite God’s will always be. And most of all I gained a new understanding of God’s grace. And, just how awesome that simple promise really can be.

At this time I would also, once again, as you to do something important and remarkable for me. On Tuesday May 13th, I will once again have surgery. This time it will be in Nashville at St.Thomas hospital. This procedure is intended to repair a large upper abdominal hernia and in the process remove what is expected to be about 15 pounds of excess skin from my lower abdomen. The procedure will last about 8 hours and after a 2-4 day stay the expected recovery is about 45 days. As I did a year ago, I would humbly ask that you pray for me and my family. Last year that meant literally everything to us.

God’s blessings and my kindest regards,
Scott Lucas

UPDATE - February 2, 2008, Saturday marked the 9th month since my surgery. I have lost 150 pounds 40% of my pre surgery body weight. But I have doubled my stamina and energy. When enough time clears from my schedule I will undertake another surgery to repair an upper abdominal hernia and get rid of about 20 pounds of excess skin.

I have noticed two new developments in myself since the surgery. First, I have gained a sense of peace I had not had in years. Before, my life seemed out of control. I was dealing in what seemed like constant chaos. Today the challenges at least on paper are as daunting as ever but I am enjoying the battle rather than fighting for survival. The other is that I have renewed many old relationships. I think that my state had kept me from keeping up old friendships because I was ashamed of what I had become. Now I understand that life if anything is about the relationships you have with people and your creator. I wish you all this same peace.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. And that goes for Austin as well. Austin continues to heal. In what is a major step for him, Saturday he will go on his first date! Surely time and God’s grace heals all things.

November 2, 2007 marked six months from the day I had Bariatric surgery and I wanted to report an update on my progress. The photo taken just after surgery in San Francisco (it is really hard for me to look at) and one taken last Saturday are posted on this web page. I have enjoyed wondrous improvements to my health – no more diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. And I have reduced the pressure settings on my c-pap machine (for sleep apnea) by over half. And I am down 126 pounds. I expect that I will continue to lose over the next year about another 40-50 pounds. I am eating now pretty much what I want --- but I just simply do not want much :-)

This is an opportunity to say thank you – for all the kind words of support, unfaltering encouragement, and, most of all, for all those that prayed for me and my family. This experience has taught me that a person’s true net worth is measured by the quality of their personal relationships. And for what I have experienced, I know that by that measure I am truly a wealthy man.

But most of all I wanted to express my thanks to God. I was blessed in the process of deciding on the surgery and finding my awesome surgeon in Dr. John Husted. I was blessed to survive the surgery itself. And I have been blessed in my recovery. My church alone, especially the mighty hearts of the Fidelis Sunday school class, showed me the power of God’s love over and over again. There was a time last year in the midst of my son, Austin's sickness that I had almost given up hope. But through Him Austin and I are recovering. Surely this is a testament that through Him anything is possible.